Fiat 500

Fiat officially announced the return of the 500 yesterday, marking the return of one of the most classic small car designs of all time. The new 500 is practically infinitely customizable with hundreds of different options available from the factory. Initial engine options range from a 1.2L with 69hp, a 100hp 1.4L, or a 75hp 1.3L turbodiesel. A high performance Abarth version will be available later next year. The new 500 looks too cute for words. Continue reading for wallpapers and press release.

Fiat 500 - official press release

Enter the new 500, the manifesto of the ‘new Fiat’, a model that
represents to all intents and purposes the materialisation of a new
approach, of new brand strategies, and a different approach to the car.
Exactly 50 years after the launch of the first edition of the model,
which was to become an icon of Italian motoring and of an entire period
of history, Fiat is accelerating into the future.

Anyone could re-edit the 500, because its shape is part of our
collective memory. Some industrial objects that were the fruit of
Italian creativeness in the period after the war, like the 500 or the
Vespa, cannot be judged purely in aesthetic terms, nor do they
represent just a good engineering exercise in which form serves a
function. On the contrary, they are powerful catalysts, revolutionary
in their design and in the concept that defines common reference points
and benchmarks. When this happens, the result is a masterpiece that is
an essential part of industrial history. The 500 is one of them.

This is a story that has taken place twice. The first is the story
of a very large number of owners, fans and enthusiasts who promoted the
car’s image as a good, reliable and economical vehicle, which became an
expression of a part of their lives, the best part, evoking a carefree
spirit and a lack of worries. The 500 is linked to these memories, to
strong friendships and first loves, it evokes images of a positive past
which many would like to revive.

Dante Giacosa’s 500 was launched on July 4, 1957, as a cycle of
rebirth was closing after the devastation of war, and a period of
radical renewal of the company’s product range was also coming to an
end, opening the way for a cycle of successes in the coming decade, a
period that we can consider one of the brightest in the brand’s one
hundred year history. The parallel with the new 500 is clear; it
concludes the cycle of extraordinary rebirth of recent years, but
thanks to its stylistic and technological features, it also represents
the spark of a lasting process of expansion. And this is where history
starts again.

It would be belittling to ‘limit’ the phenomenon of the new 500 to a
simple, nostalgic reinterpretation. Fiat’s goal has not been to design
a car that ‘looks like’ a 500, but one that ‘could be’ the 500 again.
The new 500 opens the way for an innovative process in a number of
environments that are very significant for today’s customers, clearly
outlining where its ambitions lie in relation to the future positioning
of the Fiat brand. The Fiat 500 respects the original concept in its
shape and function, as you expect in these cases, so that it can evoke
all the emotions and memories that make all ‘icons’ eternal, raising
them beyond the limiting dimension of their category.

But first and foremost it is important to underline the innovations
that the new model is able to bring to this class of product for the
first time.

First of all, the widespread involvement in the development of the
model and of the marketing plan, with the participation of over
3,000,000 enthusiasts who have submitted their ideas to the project,
through the www.500wantsyou.com website. This initiative is a new
cultural approach to relations between manufacturer and client, making
Fiat one of the most open organisations, close to the expectations of
the public. ‘The 500, the car of the people, by the people’: this
slogan sums up the philosophy behind the development of a project
which, in the best Fiat tradition, ‘democratises’ access to contents
and technologies that have never been offered in this segment before.

It is the first time that a car has been launched with the full
range of engines (69 bhp 1.2. 75 bhp 1.3 Multijet with DPF and 100 bhp
1.4 16v) ready to meet the emissions limits set by Euro 5 standards,
more than two years before the legislative deadline, a tangible sign of
Fiat’s determination to reaffirm its leadership where the environment
is concerned.

It is also the first time that a compact car (3.55 metres) has been
built to achieve a 5-star rating in the EuroNCAP impact tests, and it
is ready for the 6-star test if and when the new rating is introduced.

Safety at all costs, with no impact on prices, a bold decision,
which confirms Fiat’s intention of extending its strategy of leadership
to vehicle protection, totally consistent with decisions taken in
recent years as regards the Panda and the Croma, right through to the
Grande Punto and the Bravo.

It is a safe product, not only for its structural sturdiness, but
also because of the choices made in the construction of the range of
outfits and services: 7 airbags as standard equipment (it is the only
compact to offer a kneebag), and an advanced ESP available with all
engines (standard on the 100 bhp 1.4 16v), are absolute novelties in
this segment.

It is the first ‘small’ car to offer so much in the way of content:
4 specification levels, 3 engines at the launch, 12 colours, including
6 vintage colours that will bring the 1950s and 1960s to mind, plus
tri-coat white produced by a process that is usually only adopted on
luxury cars, 15 types of upholstery including luxurious Cordura and
Frau Leather, 9 types of wheel rims, and 19 types of stickers, making a
total of more than 500,000 variants (549,936 to be precise); the most
interesting include the electric fragrance diffuser, with a choice of 3
different fragrances, and coloured key cases, an approach similar to
that in the mobile phone market that lets you match the colour of the
key to that of the bodywork, or to select another pattern of your own
choosing. There has never been such a lavish array of accessories on
such an accessible car.

The 500 is an inclusive not an exclusive concept and Fiat felt that
this was the best way to meet the tastes of all its potential
customers, without distinction, from the most minimalist to the most
eccentric. The idea of creating a product that could adapt to the needs
of the individual was also expressed in the decision to surpass all the
competition in the process of incorporating electronic technologies
into the passenger compartment (Plug In). A second generation
Blue&Me is available, and an iPod can be easily incorporated thanks
to the socket and the battery charger. A new portable navigator was
developed specially for the 500 with Magneti Marelli, which is fitted
directly on the dashboard and connects to other vehicle functions.

The concept of customisation is not limited to the product, but
extends to the world of services and forms of payment. For example,
with the ‘500 Cents’ and ‘50to500’ formulas from Fiat Group Automobiles
Financial Services, the customer will be able to purchase any version
of the 500 including customisation, for ¤ 5 a day, and with no down
payment, or to pay 50% of the sum immediately and the remainder after 2
years.

And every time that a customer takes out one of the above loans he
will benefit from a 5 year/500,000 km manufacturer’s warranty and other
services that Fiat is offering for the first time, and which envisage
complete 24-hour roadside service. And when it is time for periodical
maintenance, the car will be picked up from the customer’s home, and
his mobility will be guaranteed by the reimbursement of any taxi fares.

Plenty of offers and possibilities, because the 500 must be the car
for everyone: it is the car of the people, made by the people, for the
people. The 500 is the ‘New Fiat’ and the ‘New Fiat’ belongs to
everyone.

For the company, the birth of the 500 represents the start of a new
chapter, a declaration of the role that Fiat aims to interpret in the
future on the market and in society. The stimulus to a new model of
conscious consumption. A model for the exploitation of experience in
the automotive field that focuses on quality and emotions, on
uniqueness rather than on mass-production, where simplification does
not mean doing without. The 500 is the tangible synthesis of these
aspirations. With the 500, Fiat smiles at the future.